NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31
Chapter 31: What Happened to Your Eyes?
Mavis couldn’t be bothered to chat further and turned to leave. By the time the Black Cloak looked back, all he saw was the big pink-white tail vanishing around the corner.
“Heh, what a clever little fox. When did such a simple-minded girl from the cunning fox tribe pop up? Her strength is impressive though—legendary level… Hmph.”
Muttering to himself, the Black Cloak strode past the Beastman guards and entered the main tent.
Inside the tent, a small, elderly Fox-Human with mottled white fur sat cross-legged on a central rug, leaning against a dilapidated wooden staff.
The old fox had a long beard, a calm demeanor, and an ethereal aura, exuding the kind of transcendent quality often referred to as “immortal” on Blue Star, clearly a formidable master.
“……”
“……”
In the large tent, it seemed only the old fox was present. The Black Cloak stared at him for a while, not knowing why he didn’t speak up immediately.
“……What do you want? Didn’t I say not to enter my military tent without permission? Even if His Majesty has an agreement with your lord, you still count as a human.”
The old fox spoke in an indifferent tone, raising an objection to the Black Cloak’s intrusion. Nevertheless, he seemed not to care much; this must be the ease of a strong individual.
“……What’s wrong with your eyes?”
After holding back for a while, the Black Cloak could no longer contain his curiosity and let out a small, almost suppressed laugh.
“Damn it! Don’t bring that up!!”
Like someone stepped on his tail, the old fox’s calm demeanor shattered in an instant, transforming from a lofty master into a neighborly old man who couldn’t take the heat, almost grabbing his nearby wooden staff to smash it against the mouthy human standing before him.
Honestly, it wasn’t entirely the Black Cloak’s fault for lacking manners—it was just that the old fox’s appearance was a bit too comical.
From the moment they met, the fox hadn’t opened his eyes. It wasn’t for the sake of mystique; rather, both eye sockets looked like they had received a beating, entirely blackened and smeared with strange-colored ointments, making it really hard to hold back laughter.
Perhaps to conceal this scene, all the tent curtains were tightly closed, and there wasn’t even a fire lit, leaving the interior pitch dark. If it weren’t for the Black Cloak’s ability to see in the dark, he might have fallen for it.
“Snort…”
The Black Cloak could have held it in; after all, he had received professional training. But the old fox’s sudden fury made his fox-like demeanor so much more… Ahem, so it really can’t be blamed on him.
“Enough! Did you come here just to watch me make a fool of myself?”
“Cough… No, of course not.”
Noticing the old fox’s voice turning cold, and his killing intent gradually seeping through, the Black Cloak finally dared not be so reckless.
Though he looked fragile, it was just a façade; this Chaharit High Priest was actually the current leader of the Fox-Human clan, holding a status in the Beast Kingdom similar to that of a prime minister in the Human Empire.
More importantly, he was a true legendary figure, having made a name for himself decades ago; not only was he decisive in battle, but he also possessed the cunning unique to the Fox-Humans, making him incredibly difficult to deal with. Only that powerful Beast Emperor could truly win his favor.
Certainly not something a naive little fox could compare to.
“Oh, don’t be mad, High Priest. You know I meant no harm. I just came to ask on my lord’s behalf why the Beastmen army hasn’t moved.”
“We’ve already informed you about the situation at Wanku Fortress. The reinforcements within the United Kingdom are temporarily tied up for various reasons. Now is the perfect opportunity to take this sturdy city, eliminate the target, and complete the transaction between the Beast Emperor and my lord. I wouldn’t think your wisdom could miss such obvious facts.”
“Hmph, easy for you to say.”
The old fox, Chaharit, didn’t lift his head, maintaining his previous posture, and questioned in a low tone: “His Majesty the Beast Emperor agreed to deploy troops only on the premise that Layton was gravely ill and couldn’t control the situation. But now? Are you trying to tell me that the man on the city wall the other day was a fake?”
“I observed the morale of Wanku Fortress’s defenders was high, and their tactics well-practiced. This must mean there’s a great general overseeing the command, not the chaotic mess you claim it to be. Based on this alone, you no longer qualify to call the shots.”
“That’s mistaken!”
The Black Cloak countered fiercely, responding with the same momentum: “This point is indeed our error, but hasn’t my lord offered you triple the resources and supplies to maintain the army’s expenses?”
“I believe this has already demonstrated our sincerity. As the Beast Kingdom in this cooperation, shouldn’t you also show some response? Those small skirmishes before hardly count as a siege, and…”
“Miracle.”
The old fox suddenly spat out two words, causing the Black Cloak to pause mid-sentence, his expression suddenly stiffening.
Chaharit sneered, “What? You don’t honestly think that with such a commotion at Wanku Fortress, my Beast Kingdom wouldn’t notice? Remember the divine punishment that split the heavens just a few days ago? That too happened in the western territory of the United Kingdom, and yet you haven’t mentioned a word about it.”
“That… was just an accident…”
The Black Cloak’s confidence took a nosedive as he felt a bit guilty.
He had thought that the Beastmen, these faithless ones, wouldn’t care about such abstract matters as gods, but unexpectedly, the old fox was clever enough to use it against him.
According to the intelligence received by his lord, the Fifth Princess Liliya had been suppressing a planned rebellion on that day, and her location was very close.
If it had only been once, one might still argue it was coincidence, but right after she had just arrived at Wanku Fortress, another earth-shattering miracle occurred, making it hard not to draw connections.
Although they were investigating hard, until now, they still had no idea who had summoned the power of the gods twice, or if it could still be used again.
But still, Liliya must die; the princes wouldn’t give up their claim to the throne just because miracles happened to crop up around her.
“Accident? Haha, do you think I’m foolish? I’ll ask you again: do you remember the massive golden veil that appeared during the siege the other day at Wanku Fortress?”
“That scale, even if it doesn’t match a miracle, is at least magic of the sixth rank. This means there’s someone comparable to the Beast Emperor, who’s surpassed the legendary realm, stationed inside that city.”
“Messenger, tell me, how many Beastman warriors’ lives do you think I would need to compensate for this significant power gap? Hmm?”
The old fox’s voice grew increasingly unfriendly.
It was evident that he was severely displeased with the absurdly inaccurate intelligence from the Black Cloak’s side. After all, until that magical curtain unfolded, Chaharit had been completely unaware that such a powerful figure resided within Wanku Fortress.
Previously, a woman with white wings used a special method to discover and break his Eye of Heaven secret technique, but these types of things could also be accomplished by legendary experts specializing in certain areas, so at the time he had merely harbored suspicion.
“Surpassing legendary… impossible, there’s no such high-level power openly in the United Kingdom. Currently, the known figures stronger than the Beast Emperor, Wing Emperor, and the Empire’s Sword Saint are only the three Holy Maidens of the Holy Nation who could reach this level with their artifacts. But none of these can be here at Wanku Fortress.”
“Nothing is impossible. The one who was able to detect my Fox Clan’s inherited Eye of Heaven secret technique, severely wound me in one move, and cast above sixth-rank defensive magic must be a being beyond legendary.”
Chaharit impatiently waved a hand, “Don’t ask me how it is in the human world; you gutter rats know better.”
“I don’t care who is in charge there, but as long as that person remains inside Wanku Fortress, I cannot expend my full effort to assault it. You know just how terrifying an over-legendary being is.”
“But our transaction…”
Seeing the Black Cloak persisting, Chaharit’s closed Fox-eyes slightly opened, a cold glint flicking for a moment…
But in the end, he let his raised hand drop and sighed helplessly.
“Fine, let me give you a hint: if that Princess Liliya, as wise as you say, wouldn’t just sit in the city, we want to avoid losses, and she won’t be an exception. Understand?”
The Black Cloak’s hand trembled, as if suddenly realizing something, and he said incredulously, “You mean she will leave the city?”
“Indeed. I have a rough understanding of the situation in your royal family. For that princess, it’s both a disaster and an invaluable opportunity; she won’t let it pass.”
“Surprise attacks, decapitations, burning supplies, cutting off logistics; the methods to force back my Beastman army are limited.”
“As long as she leaves Wanku Fortress, it would be much easier, no? What you truly want is just her life, right?”
“Got it! The High Priest is truly insightful, I admire you.”
The Black Cloak’s flattery received no response from Chaharit; instead, he waved his hand irritably.
“You’ve heard what you needed; now scram. If you dare intrude into my military camp again, Mavis won’t hold back.”
The Black Cloak’s figure vanished into the pitch darkness of the tent, and only then did concern begin to appear on Chaharit’s face.
“Miracle… God… are there really gods in this world?”
The last words of the old fox were soft, heard only by him and the howling cold wind sweeping across the Whispering Plains.